History

The Middlebush Giant

The Middlebush Vol. Fire Department supports some of the history of the Middlebush section of Franklin Township. A retired tanker that our department once had (44-4, a 1987 Pemfab 4200 gallon tanker) earned its nickname as “The Middlebush Giant” after the great Colonel Routh Goshen, the original Middlebush Giant. In 2014, Middlebush obtained a new tanker (T44, a 2014 KME 4200 gallon tanker) which earned it’s nickname as ‘The Middlebush Giant II’ to reference the village’s history once again.

Arthur James,also known as Colonel Routh Goshen got his nickname “Middlebush Giant” for reportedly being the tallest man in the world, standing at 7 feet, 11 inches and 400 pounds.

Colonel Routh Goshen aka “Middlebush Giant”

Colonel Routh Goshen lived in the Middlebush section of Franklin Township from 1884 until 1899 when he died at his home on Amwell Road. Colonel Routh Goshen is buried at the Middlebush Cemetery in Franklin Township.

Currently we also have a smaller version of the Middlebush Giant, 44-2 which is known as the “Little Giant.” 44-2 is a 2003 Seagrave Pumper/tanker that carries 1500 gallons of water. For further information please view our Apparatus section on this website or contact our Department at (732) 873-2399.